Thursday, February 26, 2009

I've already written reviews for 2 AIOs, but they were just two of the MANY I tried in my search for the perfect AIO!

Bum-Ware Extreme (BWX)~ My hands-down favorite of the ones I tried. Trimmer than any diapers I've tried, very durable, and absorbent for something so thin! The hook and loop on these was strong and wouldn't curl or fuzz or any of the other annoying things h&l tends to do. These diapers are awesome! They're the only AIOs I kept when I sold all my AIOs and pockets. I'm not a big fan of suedecloth, but these made it worth it to sacrifice natual fabrics for the trim fit and it NEVER got stains! I especially love the brown suedecloth.

Monkey Doodlez MICRO~ A very close second in my favorite AIOs! These aren't as trim as the BWX, but they hold a TON. I could easily trust these for naptime with my flood-boy. Microfleece inner, which again, is not my first choice. But they had a nice stay-dry effect, so I was willing to put up with it. ;) I like the velcro on these, too.

SposoEasy~ The first time I used my Sposo, it leaked like crazy. After prepping it, it worked well and I ordered more. In the meantime, my little guy started rolling, and the Sposo velcro would roll down and inward, and scratch his belly- every time he wore them! Not only that, but they weren't absorbent enough for him, and a doubler would cause the legs to gap, causing leaks. The snap version was HUGE in the waist, so medium snaps and velcro do not fit the same! I ended up selling all my Sposos because of the poor fit on my little guy.

DryBees Hybrid~ What I like most about these is the prints- really cute! But I don't care for microfiber inside diapers, and I had to stuff these diapers in order to make them absorbent, so I don't consider them a true AIO anyway!

Green Acre Designs (GAD)~ As with the pockets, these are cool but we can't do side snaps. If you LIKE microfiber, these are good. The design with the microfiber sewn on each end, but loose in the middle makes for quick drying when turned inside-out. But I did have to add extra absorbency to these to make them work, so again, not a true AIO.

Thirsties AIO~ It didn't take long for me to realize these things didn't hold a lot of pee. As with the GAD and DryBees, I had to add extra doublers/soakers to make them hold for more than one pee. So the one I had was sold quickly.

Mums Bums~ A surprisingly cool AIO. These are spendy, but they work really well. The soaker design is really cool- a big soaker on top, sewn at one end for quick drying. Under that is a hemp strip doubler sewn at the other end, which lays in the wet zone. I could use these for naps without a doubler, and I really liked the function of them! If they were cheaper, they would be one of my favorites.

Dream-Eze (old version)~ I didn't try the new version, but the old one was like floss on my little guy's bum. It was so trim in the crotch that it just created a horrible fit on my his chunky backside. I don't know how they fit on taller/thinner babies, but whew, I didn't use these long!

Bottombumpers~ Narrow crotch and side snaps... If you've been reading this far, you'll know that these were destined to fail for my "pee out the side" chunkster. Cool design, but I didn't like how the doublers didn't seem to fit into the diaper- they had to be tucked inside when putting on, and didn't instill confidence in mama. ;)

Mommy's Touch~ I used these almost exclusively when I first found AIOs. I like the way the doubler snaps in the front, and the design is good. I never did figure out the snapping down to size this one-size diaper... haha. Topped with microfleece, and the soakers are microfiber (two things I'm no longer a fan of), but pretty absorbent and leak-free for what they're made of!

What I never tried, but still feel tempted to try, is BumGenius organic AIOs. I rarely use AIOs anymore- really only for going out when I need a trim fit, but I feel like I haven't run the gambit until I've tried these. ;)

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

I no longer use pockets... But I used them exclusively for a while, so I thought I'd share my experiences with the brands I tried.

BumGenius 3.0~ The ever-popular mainstream diaper. These worked well, they almost never leaked, and were easy to stuff. I wasn't a fan of the suedecloth lining- it definitely held stains! And the microfiber that came with it, well, they just didn't hold enough. BUT, with the Cottonbabies microfiber insert AND a hemp insert, these were a good nighttime diaper for my little guy. Of course, he could wear the diaper in the third setting (no snapping) when he was 3 months old! I knew they wouldn't last him past a year, given how big my kids get. And the aplix on these was just awful- wore out really quickly. A good diaper... just not good for longevity.

Fuzzi Bunz~ For some reason I couldn't stand these diapers. It was something about the way the fleece lining had to be tucked in at the back, and it was just annoying to me. Some people like them, I did not.

Green Acre Designs (GAD)~ I would have absolutely LOVED these pockets if it hadn't been for my son peeing RIGHT out the snaps! We quickly learned that he can't wear side-snapping diapers. But these were well-made, and I loved the way they fit!

Wahmies~ I had the s-hook diapers, and I loved them. I thought they were great pockets! Other people hated the s-hook because they said they took too long to hook, but I didn't mind the extra 2 seconds. Of course, I took my son for his doctors appointment, and the doctor insisted on taking off/putting on the diaper himself, which made me giggle- it took him about 2 minutes! LOL Overall, a good pocket, and with a hemp insert, I found them the same as BumGenius- but with a better chance of lasting through potty-learning.

Happy Heiny~ Ugh. I was not a fan. The aplix was thick and awkward, and made the waist just look huge. I also had lots of leaks with these.

Blueberry Deluxe~ This diaper wasn't bad, but it wasn't my favorite. It worked well, and I would compare it to BumGenius, but at a higher price, so not really worth the extra money.

Snap-Ez Econappi~ Surprisingly, my favorite diaper. Absolutely no frills, just a plain, straight-forward pocket. But had a great fit on my little guy. I did find that they ran small, so he wore a large at 4 months old (but he's a huge baby anyway). I could use these at night with a microfiber and hemp insert, and they never leaked. Great pockets!

Swaddlebees Organic Velour~ I really liked this diaper- I only had one of them. They worked well and had a great fit. But also a high price tag. Still, I would say this was my second favorite pocket. I would give it higher points because of the organic velour, which I like- but it stained like crazy.

Friday, February 20, 2009

I had such a fun trip to the mailbox today! I got my second set of giraffe prints- blue ice diaper, cover, and tshirt that match. Plus my second grass giraffes diaper. And my custom swirl-dyed diapers came- they're so soft and pretty! AND, my ultimate happiness- a Smurf diaper from Bagshot Row Bamboo!!!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Wow! So, I'm officially feeling a bit slow.... Why did no one ever tell me how much money/power/frustration/diapers I could have saved if I used a drying rack?

I got my rack so I could sun diapers... But have discovered how awesome it is at drying diapers! I know, DUH! But really... I would have to run my diapers in the dryer for two "More Dry" cycles before- and sometimes they would still be damp! Now, I hang them overnight on my drying rack, and the next day, I throw them in the dryer for a "Less Dry" cycle, and they're DONE! It saves me all of the things in the title!

Hey, I look dumb for not realizing this before, but thought I would share in case anyone else hasn't invested in a rack yet. ;)

Something has been bugging me. My little guy is a big super-soaker. He can soak through a microfiber insert in one pee. So when an all-in-one diaper has a thin microfiber insert in it as it's soaker, that is not an AIO to me. If I have to stuff it with something else, then I may as well buy a pocket diaper- which are usually cheaper.

Two big culprits that I tried: Green Acre Designs (GAD) and Thirsties AIOs. Both of these have a little microfiber insert, with the option of stuffing with additional inserts. But my guy couldn't wear these for more than 30 minutes without hemp stuffed in with them! Totally defeats the purpose of an all-in-one diaper if it can't be used alone.

If you have a "tinkle" baby, then they could work for you. But if you have a "tell Noah to start his ark, the flood is coming!" baby, then don't expect these to be AIOs for you. ;)

Monday, February 9, 2009

I really should have taken before and after pictures of my diapers. The bamboo seems to stain like crazy, and my washing wasn't getting the stains out. So I bought this wooden rack and some clips, and set it up.

Being in Washington State, we have 40-degree weather this time of year, and not a lot of sun. I placed this in front of my window a couple days ago, and it has take the stains out of all my diapers! I'm truly amazed. I knew people used the sun, but I had no idea it would work so well!

My previously stained diapers now look like new again! :D And it's also a great way to air-dry the diapers. I just fluff them up in the dryer afterward to get them soft.

So just because you live somewhere that has cold or cloudy weather, it doesn't mean you can't use the sun to get the stains out of your diapers! :)

Pins! He has pins on his diaper!!! It wasn't even that hard... I ran the pins through Northern Essence salve before I put them through the diaper, and they just slid through! No pokes for Mommy or Baby! YAY!

(Now, please tell me why he's always wearing dark socks when I take these pictures? I promise I take them off once in a while!) ;)

Friday, February 6, 2009

What happened? I never thought I would like fitteds, and I always thought, "Why would anyone bother with them?" And now.... Well.... As you can see, I've built quite a collection!

I still have 6 more fitteds on the way... and 3 more diapers that aren't pictured here.

So, the reviews:

* Bagshot Row Bamboo (BSRB) ($20, but hard to buy them)~ very soft diapers, very trim. They're not the most absorbent I have, but they hold up through a pee or two. I rarely use them because I'm not a fan of Snappis or pins. But they're definitely cute! My favorite thing about them is that they're turned and topstitched, which makes them easier on the baby's legs.

* Kiwi Pie ($25)~ Trim diapers made of very soft bamboo inners. The snaps on them are perfect. They're about the same absorbency as the BSRBs. The prints are so adorable!

* Sunseedlings ($13-$15 for custom)~ These are beautifully made, and very affordable for fitteds. The insides are just beautiful- she makes the lay-in soaker with the back of it matching the outer fabric. I ordered the night diapers- 3 layers of hemp, I believe- so they're not the trimmest diapers. But they fit well and hold quite a bit.

* CuddleBuns ($25, but I got seconds for $15)~ I haven't gotten to try these ON yet, but they sure are cute! VERY soft material, and obviously well-made. They look really cute, and I can't wait to try them on my little guy.

* PeeWells ($10-15 depending on size)~ These diapers are the most absorbent of the regular fitteds I have. Cute prints, well made. She sometimes sews the internal soaker with the same stitching as the diaper, which makes them easy to match up. The prints are cute, and the snaps are great. The snake soaker takes some getting used to, but it helps make these diapers hold a lot, and to me, that's worth it! I love these!

* Holden's Landing Bedbugs ($31-33)~ Soft, very stretchy material. The snaps are very adjustable, and these diapers really do hold up well overnight. I had mine made with OBV/OBV (organic bamboo velour) and had them dyed. Very pretty diapers. They hold a ton, without being TOO bulky. An awesome nighttime solution.

* Sustainablebabyish "Magic Diaper" ($31)~ This diaper isn't pictured. These are awesome for nights. They have soakers sewn on each end, and come with an extra doubler. They are stretchy and absorbent. Plain, natural color- but it's a night diaper, so who sees it? I add yet another doubler in these for my little guy to go 12 hours, and it's STILL not overly bulky, even with 4 doublers/soakers inside! Truly a magic diaper.

Monday, February 2, 2009

I was feeling daring, so I tried a fitted diaper with a wool cover over it, and then a pair of microfleece pants to finish it off. I was nervous about it, but thought the combo of wool and fleece would at least keep the pee in while we were out this evening.

No such luck.

Both my husband and I ended up with wet spots on our sides from where we had him sitting on our hips. :P

Fitteds and covers work well for at home during the day, but my little water fountain can't get by with them for longer than an hour!

I'll stick with my Bum-Ware Extremes for when we leave the house- pee-soaked shirts are not becoming! ;)